As Stannis finished speaking, Sir Davos, though puzzled, quickly knelt down on one knee.
King Stannis's voice rang out. "Fifteen years ago, because of salted fish and onions, I made you a knight. Fifteen years later, for the sake of my kingdom, I intend to promote you to Earl, Davos Seaworth."
For the sake of the kingdom? Onion Knight couldn't fathom why King Stannis would say such a thing.
Davos raised his drooping face and said, " King Stannis, I am already very content to be your knight. Please allow me to be frank, I am a smuggler by birth, and I am not suited to a noble status."
"Very good."
King Stannis rose from his chair and stood before the Onion Knight, saying, "To sit in a higher position, one must first become hypocritical; I have learned this the hard way."
With a whoosh, King Stannis drew his longsword, placed it on the shoulder of the Onion Knight, and said, " Davos of House Seaworth, will you be my loyal knight, from this day forward and forever?"
Sir Davos lowered his head and said respectfully, "Yes, my king."
"Do you swear to serve me for the rest of your life, to give me honest advice and absolute obedience, to protect my rights and my kingdom, to fight alongside me no matter how difficult the road ahead, to care for my people, and to punish my enemies?"
"I do, my king."
"Then rise, Davos Seaworth, my Earl of the Rainwood, my Hand of the King."
The Rainwood is a vast forest located on Cape Wrath the Stormlands. This area is humid and rainy, but the soil is very fertile.
Davos looked up in shock; he had just been worried about the severe punishment he would face for secretly plotting to kill Melisandre.
Earl of the Rainwood?!
Hand of the King?!
Davos's lips trembled several times before he finally spoke, " King Stannis, you cannot... I am not fit to be Hand of the King."
" Davos, there is no one more suitable than you." King Stannis sheathed his sword and personally helped his new Hand of the King to his feet.
Hand of the King Davos advised again, " King Stannis, I come from humble origins, rising from the ranks of a smuggler; your lords will not be pleased."
King Stannis said coldly, "Then remove them and put the right people in their positions."
Hand of the King Davos opened his mouth and said, "I can't read, I... I can't read or write."
Stannis sat back in his chair and said, "Mach, Steward, squire—they can all read and write for you. What I value is what you have always given me: honesty, loyalty, and service."
His "god" was already showing a hint of impatience. After a pause, Davos tried to continue persuading, " King Stannis, there must be a better candidate, a certain noble lord..."
King Stannis's cold snort interrupted Hand of the King Davos's advice. 🌷🍧 🐊♨
"Noble? I certainly didn't sense that quality in them. They didn't care who their king was, nor did they care about the kingdom's laws; they only cared about their own interests."
After saying this, King Stannis gestured angrily.
After a moment of silence, he continued, "You will become my Hand of the King, my Earl of the Rainwood... Enough, this is the king's order."
The Reach, Longtable Hall.
Oh, everyone's saying, come see the beauty! Beauty? He knows, but I'm a bear! All black and brown, covered in fur!
I hopped and twirled, slowly walking towards the beauty! The beauty! The beauty!
Oh, she's so sweet, pure, and beautiful! Honey in the Maiden's hair!
Hair! Hair! Honey in the Maiden's hair!
Oh, I am a girl, pure and beautiful! I dance not with a hairy bear! Bear! Bear! I dance not with a hairy bear!
Lift her up in the air! Bear! Bear!
Oh, I call for a knight, but you are a bear! A bear! A bear! All black and brown, covered in fur!
He kicked and shouted, the Maiden was terrified, but he was licking the honey from his hair, his hair! His hair! He was licking the honey from his hair!
Inside the pub, Gryn Crabb leaned back in his chair, enjoying the songs of the Reach.
To be honest, when Gryn first heard the song, he thought it was pretty the Bear and the Maiden Fair.
But... he's been listening to it for three days straight.
At this moment, although Gryn's gaze was on the Dwarf on the small stage, his thoughts had already drifted far away, to the Riverlands.
Last night, a beautiful maid named Little Rose brought him intelligence about the battle in the Riverlands.
After reading the intelligence, Lord Gryn couldn't help but feel worried about the Lannister army in the Riverlands.
The current situation... many things have changed, and he's a little worried that the Old Lion will be directly overthrown by the Young Wolf.
Gryn's long, slender fingers tapped lightly on the table... If the Lannister were defeated in the Riverlands, the Golden Rose would most likely end up dominating King's Landing.
This is not in Crabb's interest.
Gryn's brown eyes trembled slightly... To prevent any accidents, he had to help the Lannister.
How can I help... I can't help for nothing... Gryn's fingers paused; he needed to forge an alliance between the Red Keep and the Golden Rose as soon as possible.
When will his beloved Lord Mace arrive at the Longtable Hall?
Gryn picked up his glass and took a sip of wine; the sweet taste of Summer Wine soothed his slightly agitated heart.
Gryn put down his wine glass and turned to look at Brienne of Tarth. She was wearing Crabb's blue robe and silver armor, and her previously messy hair had been neatly combed back.
Brienne was highly adaptable; she quickly became familiar with Crabb's military regulations and meticulously followed them.
It must be admitted that she has become a walking embodiment of Crabb Military Code; this is a talent, a talent of unparalleled seriousness.
Gryn said, " Brienne, reward him with a Gold Dragon; I want to continue listening to ' The Bear and the Maiden Fair '."
Brienne nodded slightly and strode directly toward the small stage.
Before long, a chorus of complaints filled the tavern.
For three consecutive days, the same song was played on repeat in this tavern, and many regular customers were getting tired of it.
Several fierce-looking and strong-looking men were cursing and swearing. They turned around and looked back, where they saw a large expanse of blue.
He sobered up instantly, and then... nonchalantly sat back down and continued drinking happily with his companions.
Okay, let's continue listening to music and drinking.
When Gryn was drinking his sixth cup, Little Rose's guards came looking for him.
Margaery Tyrell invited him to dinner.
Gryn's eyes flickered slightly. He glanced out the window at the bright sunlight and guessed that he might see Duke Mace Tyrell at dinner that evening.
After Gryn left, surrounded by the men Crabb Blue Cloaks, the tavern immediately became lively.
"Who is he?! Does he really like listening to bear songs that much?!"
"I almost drew my sword!"
"Yes, me too!"
Me too!
"Shh, they say he's a distinguished guest in the Longtable Hall."
"Who exactly is he?!"
"I saw his coat of arms; that golden flower looks like the coat of arms of the Crownlands House Crabb."
" Crabb, this sounds... so familiar..."
"Last year, yes, that was last year, a nobleman from Crownlands challenged a swordsman from the Reach in Highgarden!"
"I remember it said something like this later..."
"Shh, shh, stop talking! Are you all courting death?"
"This is the Reach!"
"Shh, he is the Bloody Earl..."
" The Bloody Earl? Rumor has it... that if you look him in the eye, he'll Earl out your eyes?"
"Gouging out eyes?! That's too cruel... Um... then why not call him the Earl Who Gougs Out Eyes?"
"Shh... that's all rumors... I heard he eats a whole heart raw with every meal, while the person is still alive... because the scene is too bloody, so he..."
"That's too cruel... Um... then why not call him the Heart-Eating Earl?"
"Shut your mouth! Why are you asking so many questions?"
"I've heard that he needs to..."
"Oh, the Gods bless us..."
As the sun gradually dipped below the horizon, the sky changed from bright blue to deep blue.
The waiter opened the door, Gryn entered the restaurant of Longtable.
The flames flickered in the fireplace. Hearing the noise, Margaery Cersei, who was standing by the window, turned around, her dark green skirt swaying beside her slender hips.
Gryn patted his chest and said, "Good night, Miss Margaery. Thank you for your invitation. It's an honor to dine with you."
Little Rose returned the greeting gently, her smile tender, "Thank you for coming. Welcome, Lord Gryn."
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Little Rose suddenly chuckled and said, " Lord Gryn, I heard you've recently become obsessed with a song?"
Gryn smiled, " The Bear and the Maiden Fair?"
Margaery nodded gently, suppressing a smile. Her demeanor was incredibly charming, and Lord Gryn, true to form, paused for a moment... Hmm, her figure is captivating too.
Tonight, Little Rose's dress was still a dark color, but compared to their first meeting three days ago, she was noticeably more "lively," and her smile had become even sweeter.
Lord Gryn sensed the "words" Miss Little Rose was conveying; she wanted to tell him... she was emerging from the grief of losing her "ex-husband," and it wouldn't be long... perhaps she could "recover" very soon.
Was this intentional or an unintentional revelation?
Gryn shrugged. "Listening to that song makes me feel like my fiancée is right beside me."
"Fiancée?"
Margaery was surprised for a moment, then paused and said, "Congratulations! May the Gods bless you, Lord Gryn."
Gryn nodded his thanks.
"No wonder... she came back and told us you didn't even look at her before sending her away..."
Margaery sighed helplessly and said, " Elo was heartbroken all night. If I had known beforehand, I would have stopped her from bravely volunteering."
Lord Gryn couldn't possibly have failed to recognize that the maid was Margaery's cousin, Elinor Tyrell.
The House Golden Rose had proposed that she marry him (Chapter 122), so he pretended not to see it... cough, boys from Westeros need to learn to protect themselves when they're out in the world.
Margaery seemed somewhat curious. " Lord Gryn, if you don't mind, could you introduce your fiancée as the young lady of which family?"
"Sure."
Gryn smiled and said, "Her name is Rhaella. We met in Essos, across the Narrow Sea. As for her identity..."
He shrugged. "She's supposedly a princess who was lost and wandering."
Stranded abroad... a wandering princess? Little Rose didn't take the title of princess to heart, because she had heard that there were countless people on the Essos who called themselves princes or princesses.
Margaery raised an eyebrow. She seemed to have discovered Lord Gryn's weakness: when it came to matters of the heart, he seemed to lose his usual wisdom and become more impulsive.
From Margaery's perspective, Lord Gryn had chosen a less-than-ideal fiancée, and such a marriage was not in the family's best interest.
Gryn left her with the impression of a brilliant nobleman, a fact that was proven by his performance at the Red Keep.
Normally, Margaery would never choose a girl with only the title of Lord Gryn as her marriage partner.
What kind of girl could make him make such a choice?
That girl must be very charming?
Or was he under some kind of spell?
Margaery looked at Gryn's beaming smile and thought... this was all because she was too cautious. If she had known the "weakness" beforehand, she might have supported her cousin Elo to be braver.
That's a bit of a shame.
She began, "What a wonderful experience! It's like a sweet story I've heard in a ballad... vividly unfolding before my eyes, truly beautiful."
Little Rose has a sweet tongue... Lord Gryn had to nod his thanks again.
The gates were suddenly pushed open, followed by the messenger's chant. "Welcome, High Lord Mace Tyrell, Lord of the Reach, Lord of Highgarden, Warden of the South, Protector of the Dornish Marches!"
"..." Gryn suddenly missed his Daenerys.
Before long, the imposing figure of the Lord Mace appeared, dressed in a dark green velvet robe and a golden cloak, with a gleaming sword at his waist.
Margaery curtsied, "Good night, my father."
Lord Gryn bowed with his hand on his chest. "Good night, Duke Mace Tyrell."
Lord Mace looked at his daughter and Gryn with amusement, stroked his beard, and said, " Margaery, my good daughter."
As he spoke, he walked over and opened his arms to hug his daughter.
Then, Lord Mace turned to Gryn, stroked his beard, and said, "Yo, Gryn, welcome."
After saying that, he reached out and patted Gryn's arm.
Gryn's voice was somewhat excited. "Your Excellency Lord Mace, it is a great honor to meet you."
Lord Mace laughed and stroked his beard, saying, "Very good, very good. I've heard about what you did in the Vale; you did a good job."
Gryn smiled and said respectfully, "I owe this to you, Lord Mace."
Lord Mace stroked his beard with a satisfied expression and said, " Gryn, you're a good boy. There's not much more I can teach you... The duel between Crackclaw Point and the Vale is known to all Seven Kingdoms. You must be cautious in this battle."
Gryn said solemnly, "Thank you for your guidance. I will always remember it, Lord Mace."